Campaign

THE MAIL

NO WRITER ATTRIBUTED
February 8, 1984

To the Editor:

I was surprised and dismayed by your coverage of the Democratic debate on foreign policy. The article outlined the major points of all but one of the candidates, giving about as much attention to the opinions of George McGovern as it did to Reubin Askew, who did not attend. Walter Mondale, being the front runner, was understandably given the most coverage. But the other candidates, all of whose percentage points in the polls do not add up to Mondale's, were each given roughly equal space-except for McGovern. According to the New York Times, McGovern was "the most humorous, relaxed and eloquent of the seven candidates." Was it not newsworthy to note the comments of the one candidate who aroused the most cheering and applause from the audience?

I was also bewildered by the sudden departure from news coverage to outright opinion. In describing the views of the more liberal candidates, the reporter observed that "the 90-minute session seemed more of a love-in than a debate," but neglected to use any direct quotes. Instead of putting forth disparaging remarks, the reporter might be more considerate of those whose views are less than mainstream. The Kennedy Institute of Politics insured equal time to each of the candidates. Perhaps The Crimson should follow that example. Jeremy Levy '87